Thinking Outside the Multiplex

by MIKE MACCOLLUM

It’s another week of mixed blessings here, but the good (we finally get Crazy Heart and the Indian epic Veer opens as well) outweighs the bad (both Broken Embraces and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus are down to two shows per day at the Keystone Art Cinema, and the latter film is vanishing from most other theaters around the state as well). And even more good news is in store next week, which promises a very special screening of Touch of Evil, with… – well, I won’t spoil it in the intro. Just read on below for more – and this week’s complete listing of limited release films opening around the country.

[As always, follow the links in the Outside the Multiplex: Moviegoing in the Hoosier State section of the sidebar for showtimes, directions, etc. for the Indiana theaters listed below.]

LIMITED RELEASE THEATRICAL FILMS OPENING IN INDIANA THIS WEEK

Crazy Heart – Jeff Bridges has received four Academy Award nominations over the years, and many critics who have seen Crazy Heart think he will receive a fifth one for his work in this drama/comedy from first-time director Scott Cooper. Bridges plays Bad Blake, a former star in the country music world who has been reduced to humiliating small-time gigs after many, many years of too much hard living (especially of the liquid variety). When a reporter (Maggie Gyllenhaal) gets to know the “real” Blake behind the public image, he thinks he might have a chance at both romance and redemption. T-Bone Burnett co-wrote the film’s original music and was a co-producer of the film itself; Robert Duvall (who was also a co-producer) and Colin Farrell are also in the cast. Crazy Heart starts Friday, January 22, at the Keystone Art Cinema in Indianapolis.

Namo Venkatesha – This Telugu-language film from India is apparently “a romantic movie with family drama, [and] action sequences” about a lead character who “is a man of positive thinking and a ventriloquist too,” according to this site (and many other sites as well). That’s about all I could find for a plot on this one online – but a trailer is here on youtube, and the film’s not-very-informative (as of now at least) Wikipedia page is here; the film’s star, Daggubati “Victory” Venkatesh, also has a personal site with some stills from the film and other information. That latter site – along with the youtube trailer – make it look more like a comedy than the “romantic movie with family drama” description quoted above, so who knows…. Namo Venkatesha will play at 5:30 and 9 PM on Friday and Saturday at the Georgetown 14 in Indianapolis, according to the manoranjaninc.com site; the movietickets.com page for the G14 (which has the title as Om Namo Venkatesha) says that the film will also be at this theater on Monday and Tuesday at 7:30 PM. (Note: There’s nothing on the manoranjaninc site yet about whether this one has English subtitles – but the site for the FunAsia theater chain in Texas says that Namo Venkatesha is not subtitled.)

To Save a Life – Two former childhood friends are now at opposite ends of the high-school food chain: Jake has many friends, a girlfriend, and a basketball scholarship, while Roger has none of the above – and gets ignored or insulted by just about everybody. After Roger decides that he doesn’t want to put up with this anymore, and comes to school with a gun, Jake wonders if he could have done more to help his former friend – and starts to try to befriend the other high-school misfits. He soon finds out that this sort of outreach isn’t exactly popular in his social circle, and he could lose his own friends (not to mention his girlfriend and his reputation) if he persists. To Save a Life starts Friday at the Galaxy 14 and the ShowPlace 16 and IMAX (both in Indianapolis), the Greenwood Park 14, the Metropolis 18 in Plainfield, the Mounds Mall 10 in Anderson, the ShowPlace 12 in Kokomo, the ShowPlace 12 in Columbus, the ShowPlace West 12 in Bloomington, the Eastside 9 in Lafayette, the ShowPlace 16 in Schereville, the Honey Creek West 8 in Terre Haute, and the Bones Cinema 4 in Columbia City.

Veer – Salman Khan stars in this Hindi-language action-adventure/drama as Veer, a Pindari warrior who fights the British in the nineteenth century. There’s also a love story here – Veer falls for Princess Yashodhara, who is the daughter of one of Veer’s enemies. Veer – which has a screenplay co-written by its star – will run this Friday through (at least) next Thursday at the Georgetown 14 in Indianapolis; go to the manoranjaninc.com site for the times.

THEATRICAL HOLDOVERS, FILM FESTIVALS, REVIVAL SCREENINGS, AND OTHER SPECIAL SHOWINGS IN INDIANA THIS WEEK

Arsenic and Old Lace – Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre, Jack Carson, James Gleason and Edward Everett Horton are in the cast of this enjoyable dark comedy; it will be shown at 7 PM on Friday, January 22, at the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s Tobias Theater (aka “The Toby”). The film will be preceded by a cartoon, Scary Crows, and will be introduced by film historian Eric Grayson.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson star in this 1971 Disney fantasy/comedy about a would-be witch helping the British fight the Germans in World War 2. Bedknobs and Broomsticks will be shown at Franklin’s historic Artcraft Theatre on Friday, January 22, at 2 and 7:30 PM, and on Saturday, January 23, at 7:30 PM.

Below the Burning Light Skin and Floating Viscera – I couldn’t find out a lot about this film on the web, but I do know that it will be shown at 7:30 PM on Friday, January 22, and at 4 PM on Sunday, January 24, at the Cinema Center @ Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne. The first showing will have a live score performed by the band Somnambulist Red, according to the Cinema Center’s site; this site and this one both say that the Sunday showing will be followed by a farewell performance from the Fort Wayne-based metal band Graves of the Endless Fall, which will play while an unnamed silent film runs in the background. This site notes that the film was made by guitarist Sean Townsend, who is (apparently) a member of both bands. If you know anything more than this about Below the Burning Light Skin and Floating Viscera, then you know more than I do.

Bloomington Pride Festival – The official site for this event describes it as a “cinematic celebration of the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgendered, queer and intersex community in Bloomington, Indiana” that “features more than 20 films from all over the world – shorts and features, animation, documentaries, comedy, and drama.” This festival starts on Thursday, January 28, and runs through January 31 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and other venues in Bloomington; for the titles of the films, click here.

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day – Starts Friday at the Starplex Coventry 13 in Fort Wayne.

Broken Embraces – Penelope Cruz stars in Pedro Almodovar’s latest film, which holds over for a second week at the Keystone Art Cinema in Indianapolis – but for only two shows per day, at 1:10 and 6:50 PM. Broken Embraces will also show this week (except on Sunday, January 24) at the Cinema Center in Fort Wayne.

The Damned United – Michael Sheen plays a controversial coach in The Damned United, which will be shown at 2 PM this Sunday, January 24, at the Cinema Center in Fort Wayne.

Der Rosenkavalier – The Metropolitan Opera’s production of Richard Strauss’s “comic masterpiece of love and intrigue in 18th-century Vienna” (as this event’s official site puts it) will have an encore showing in HD on Wednesday, January 27, at 6:30 PM. Participating theaters include the ShowPlace 16 and IMAX, the Galaxy 14 and Castleton Square 14 (all in Indianapolis), the Hamilton 16 and IMAX in Noblesville, and eleven other venues across the state; go to the Fathom Events site for more information.

An Education – Carey Mulligan stars in Lone Scherfig’s drama, which starts Friday at the Honey Creek West 8 in Terre Haute, the Stadium 16 in Evansville, the ShowPlace East 11 in Bloomington, and the ShowPlace 7 in Muncie.

Food, Inc. – You can’t get a reservation for the Saturday screening of this documentary at the Georgetown Market in Indianapolis, since all of the tickets were snapped up a while ago. I am mentioning this here because the folks at the Georgetown Market have indicated that there may be another screening there some time in the near future; if they do schedule another showing, I’ll let you know about it as soon as I know about it.

Garbage Dreams – This documentary about a trio of young garbage collectors/recyclers on the fringes of Cairo – and the changes that the globalization of the trash industry brings to their lives – at 4 PM on Sunday, January 24, at the K.I. Eco Center, at 129 West 28th Street in Indianapolis.

Happy-Go-Lucky – Mike Leigh directed this 2008 film about Poppy Cross, a 30-year-old teacher whose personality matches the film’s title; Sally Hawkins won the Best Actress award at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival for her performance as Poppy. Happy-Go-Lucky will be shown at the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s Toby Theatre on Thursday, January 28, at 7 PM; it’s part of the IMA’s “Screen Zenith” series.

Il Viaggio a Reims – This Teatro alla Scala production of Rossini’s last Italian-language opera will be shown at 1 PM on Sunday, January 24, at the Rave Jefferson Pointe 18 in Fort Wayne. The story involves a group of would-be travelers who spend a great deal of time planning for a trip to Reims – a trip that may or may not actually take place.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – Terry Gilliam’s latest film – and Heath Ledger’s last one – holds over for another week at the Keystone Art Cinema (where it will show at 3:50 and 9:50 PM daily), the Village Park 17 in Carmel (which will have one show per day, at 9:30 PM), and the Carmike 20 in Fort Wayne (which will show the film at 4:20 and 9:45 this week).

Lewis and Clark: The Great Journey West – This 2002 film will be showing this week at the IMAX Theater at the Indiana State Museum in downtown Indianapolis.

Mall of America and 0% Down – These two short films by Josephine Meckseper will be shown simultaneously (on different walls of the same gallery) at the Indianapolis Museum of Art through February 7, 2010.

More Than a Game – Five basketball players from Akron, Ohio – the most famous of them being none other than LeBron James – are the subject of this documentary, which follows their lives over a period of seven years. Don’t expect very much about James’ career in the NBA, however; from what I’ve read, the film focuses on the time before he turned pro. More Than a Game starts Friday at the Cinemark Movies 8 Washington Market in Indianapolis and the Cinema 10 in Richmond.

Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs – Christopher Lee – who played a mummy himself back in the day – narrates this 2007 documentary, which will be showing this week at the IMAX Theater at the Indiana State Museum in downtown Indianapolis.

No Impact Man – The Ryder Magazine and Film series of Bloomington will have more showings of this documentary on Friday, Saturday and Sunday; for show times and more info on the film itself, go to The Ryder’s official site.

Omer Fast: The Casting – This fourteen minute, four channel video installation continues at the Indianapolis Museum of Art through February 21, 2010. The piece intercuts excerpts from the artist’s conversations with a soldier about to leave for his second tour of duty in Iraq with footage of actors mimicking the dialogue.

Otello – Placido Domingo has the lead role in Franco Zeffirelli’s film of Verdi’s opera, which was based on Shakespeare’s play. The University of Notre Dame’s Browning Cinema will show Otello at 7 PM on Thursday, January 28, at 7 PM; Philip Gossett will introduce the screening.

The Road – Viggo Mortensen, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce and Charlize Theron face the end of the world again this week at Georgetown 14 in Indianapolis (where the film will be shown at 4:25 and 9:35 PM daily) and the Yes Cinema in Columbus. The Cinema Center @ Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne also will show The Road this Friday, Saturday, and Monday.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show – The seventies cult perennial screens again at the Georgetown 14 in Indianapolis this Saturday night at 10 PM.

The Searchers – John Wayne, Vera Miles, and Natalie Wood star in John Ford’s classic 1956 Western; it will be shown at 3 PM on Saturday, January 23, at the University of Notre Dame’s Browning Cinema.

A Single Man – Colin Firth stars with Julianne Moore in this drama, which continues for another week at the Keystone Art Cinema in Indianapolis.

35 Shots of Rum – The Ryder Magazine and Film series of Bloomington brings back French director Claire Denis’ drama for more showings this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Thomas & Friends: Thomas & the Runaway Kite – From what I’ve been able to find online, this sounds like two or three episodes from the Thomas the Tank Engine TV show grouped together under one umbrella title. All of the Thomas fans out there can check it out for themselves at 12:20 PM this Saturday and Sunday at the Rave Metropolis 18 in Plainfield.

21st Annual Notre Dame Student Film Festival – The University’s Browning Cinema presents this festival of short, student-made films at 6:30 and 9:30 PM on Friday, January 21 and Saturday, January 23. Running times for the films – which were made by undergraduate students as class projects – range from three to fifteen minutes. (The Browning’s site says that past festivals have sold out early, by the way, and recommends that anyone who wants a ticket should get one ASAP.)

3 Idiots – Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, and Boman Irani are in the cast of this comedy/drama from India, which is currently scheduled to be shown at the Georgetown 14 in Indianapolis four times this week.

Under the Sea 3D – This 2009 IMAX documentary will be showing this week at the IMAX Theater in the Indiana State Museum.

The Vanished Empire – Bloomington’s Ryder Magazine and Film Series presents more showings of this Russian drama on Friday through Sunday. The story takes place at a Moscow university in the early seventies, and involves a love triangle (involving two young men and a woman) and students craving to experience Western music and movies that have been banned by Soviet leaders.

Whip It – Ellen Page stars in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, which will be shown at 7 PM on Thursday, January 28, at the Earth House Collective in Indianapolis. (Or at least that’s what the Earth House’s site says this week. It seems that they have cancelled one or two movies – and then substituted others in their places – over the last few weeks… so if you have your heart set on seeing Whip It at the Earth House, you might want to re-check their site closer to next Thursday, just to see if it’s still on the schedule.)

Winter Daydreams – This animated pair (or trio?) of short films for young children will be shown at 1 and 2:35 PM on Saturday and Sunday only at the Georgetown 14 in Indianapolis; at the Studio 10 in Shelbyville, it will show at 1:00 and 3:30 PM on Saturday and Sunday. The Carmike 20 in Fort Wayne will show Winter Daydreams at 1 PM on Saturday and Sunday, while the Carmike Encore Park 14 in Elkhart will show it at 11:30 AM on Saturday and Sunday- and the Rave Jefferson Pointe 18 in Fort Wayne has it at 12:05 PM on those same days. The only theater in Indiana with daily showings of Winter Daydreams again this week seems to be the Showplace East in Evansville; the show time there is 11:10 AM.

Wishes Fulfilled – Dr. Wayne Dyer – whose Wikipedia page notes that he is a “self-help advocate” and the author of the seventies best-seller Your Erroneous Zones – is the star of what this event’s site describes as an “empowering exploration of the dynamics of our thought process” and a “‘Spiritual Workshop’” in which Dyer “will reveal how the ancient wisdom of the Tao Te Ching helped him shift from ambition to a new kind of meaningful consciousness.” Wishes Fulfilled will be shown at 7:30 PM on Thursday, January 28, at the Metropolis 18 in Plainfield, the Encore Park 14 in Elkhart, and the Carmike 20 and Jefferson Pointe 18 (both in Fort Wayne).

The Young Victoria – Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Jim Broadbent, Miranda Richardson, Paul Bettany and Thomas Kretschmann are in the cast of this period drama, which holds over for another week at the Keystone Art Cinema in Indianapolis and the Cinema Center in Fort Wayne. The 4 PM screening on Sunday, January 24 at the Cinema Center will be followed by a “Movie Talk.”

OPENING ELSEWHERE – In my humble opinion, the real standout film this week is A Room and a Half – but another Russian film, Ward #6, is also definitely on my want-to-see list, along with The Girl on the Train. It’s too bad that none of these films are likely to get any theatrical play in the state (with the possible exception of The Girl on the Train, which may make it to Bloomington, thanks to The Ryder). Indeed – more so than any week in the past – I doubt that any of the movies below will have a theatrical run in Indiana.

American Faust: From Condi to Neo-Condi – Condoleezza Rice is the subject of this documentary – and I sort of doubt that she is going to like the results. According to the film’s official site, it questions her competence (including the question of whether she ignored warnings about possible Al Qaeda attacks prior to 9/11), the psychological nature of her relationships with powerful men, her role in approving policies during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – and even the quality of her piano playing. American Faust starts Friday, January 22, at the Starz Film Center in Denver.

Bad Biology – This is one of several movies that came out last week- except I didn’t find out about them until this week. Bad Biology is the latest (way) over the top film from Frank Henenlotter (of Basket Case and Frankenhooker fame). This one is about a young man and a young woman – both of them highly oversexed – who ultimately meet each other, leading to what the film’s myspace page calls “a truly godawful love story.” Bad Biology had a pair of late shows last Friday and Saturday, January 15 and 16, at the Starz FilmCenter in Denver; it comes out on DVD next Tuesday. The film’s MySpace page is here – there is no official US site for the film otherwise, as far as I can tell – and a VERY not-safe-for-work-or-kids trailer… can be found by those who are interested through a google search.

Cape No. 7 – This 2008 romantic comedy/drama with music from Taiwan became the second-highest grossing film ever at Taiwanese theaters – just behind (you guessed it) Titanic, according to the Cape No. 7′s Wikipedia page. It also opened the 2008 Taipei film festival, and won three awards there, according to that same site – and the film’s “awards” page on the IMDb notes other prizes that it won at other festivals – and the IMDb’s “trivia” about the film includes the (perhaps not so trivial) information that Cape No. 7 was Taiwan’s official submission to the 2009 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category (it didn’t make the cut for a nomination, however). The story involves Aga, a Taiwanese rocker who returns to his home town after failing to hit it big in Taipei. When Tomoko, a Japanese fashion model, comes to his town to organize a concert for a pop star from Japan, she finds that she has been forced by local officials to add a recently-organized band (led by Aga) as the opening act. Aga and Tomoko eventually start a romantic relationship – although Tomoko does not plan to stay in Taiwan. But the film begins in the 1940s, with a Japanese soldier and a Taiwanese woman falling in love during the Japanese occupation…. Not surprisingly, this aspect of the film eventually ties in with the modern-day characters. Cape No. 7 started last Friday at the Kahala 8 in Honolulu and the Pearlridge West in Aiea, Hawaii; it continues this week at the former theater. I couldn’t find a US site for the film, but the English-language pages from the film’s Taiwanese site are here, and its Japanese site (which has a trailer with no English subtitles) is here.

Drool – This comedy stars Laura Harring (Mulholland Drive) as Anora, who is stuck with disobedient children and a mean, abusive spouse. Anora befriends her new neighbor, Imogene – and then the two become much more than just friends. After her husband discovers the relationship, Anora decides to try to get away from him – but instead winds up accidentally shooting and killing him. Anora, Imogene, and the kids then take off a cross-country road trip – with the body of Anora’s hubby hidden in the trunk. Drool started Friday, January 15, at the Starz FilmCenter in Denver, but I didn’t know about that until this week, when the film opened at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in West Hollywood.

The Girl on the Train – Catherine Deneuve plays Louise, who lives with her daughter Jeanne in the suburbs, and makes a living by taking care of other people’s children. Jeanne is sort of/kind of trying to find a job for herself, and Louise suggests that she contact Louise’s childhood friend Samuel Bleistein, who is now a lawyer. Louise and Samuel (Michel Blanc) now live very different lives – and they find themselves on opposite sides of the media controversy that arises when Jeanne claims that she was the victim of an anti-Semitic assault. Andre Techine (Wild Reeds; Ma saison preferee) directed The Girl on the Train, which started Friday, January 22, at two theaters (the IFC Center and the City Cinemas 1-2-3) in New York City.

Happy Husbands – A Malayalam-language comedy from India, Happy Husbands starts at the FunAsia Bollywood 6 in Houston on Friday, January 22. The plot concerns a trio of young couples who all know each other – and the chaos that ensues when a mysterious young woman walks into their lives. Both the Wikipedia page for Happy Husbands and this review claim that it is a remake of the 2005 Bollywood hit No Entry.

House of Numbers – Director Brent Leung went on a journey around the world to talk to a large number of the most important researchers in the field of HIV and AIDS to see what scientists really know about AIDS, and what the prospects are for a cure. The film is considered controversial, because (among other things) at least some of the interviewees question the connection between HIV and AIDS – while others assert that drug companies weren’t really interested in finding a cure for AIDS, since they could make more money selling drugs to treat it. House of Numbers starts Friday, January 22, at the Regal Fox Tower Stadium 10 in Portland, OR.

Misconceptions – Miranda, a Christian caterer in a small Georgia town, sees a documentary about Sandy and Terry, married gay men in Boston – and soon has a vision from above telling her that she should become a surrogate mother for the couple. But Miranda doesn’t tell her husband about this – which causes complications several weeks later, when Terry arrives in Georgia without warning, determined to be sure that everything is going well with the pregnancy. Misconceptions – the only comedy in a trio of films (the other two are Murder in Fashion and Watercolors, both covered below) opening at the same theaters – starts Friday, January 22, at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in West Hollywood and the Quad Cinema in New York City.

A Mother’s Courage: Talking Back to Autism – Kate Winslet narrates this documentary about Margret, an Icelandic mother who has tried everything she can think of to try to help her severely autistic eleven-year-old son Keli. Margret meets both with scientists and other families with autistic children – and eventually starts to hope that her son possibly could receive more effective help than she had previously thought. A Mother’s Courage: Talking Back to Autism – which is also known as The Sunshine Boy outside the US – starts Friday, January 22, at the Laemmle Playhouse 7 in Pasadena.

Murder in Fashion: The Andrew Cunanan Story – As you might suspect from the title, this film is based on the true story of Andrew Cunanan, described on the film’s official site as a “gay party regular and aging boy toy” who “refuses to grow old gracefully.” Cunanan instead goes on a murder spree, killing several people on his journey from San Diego to Miami. The FBI is on Cunanan’s trail – but is unable to stop him from murdering fashion designer Gianni Versace…. Stacey Dash and Cerina Vincent are also in the cast of Murder in Fashion, which starts Friday, January 22, at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in West Hollywood and the Quad Cinema in New York City.

Oh! My Buddha – Jun is a Japanese teenager who has just been enrolled in a private Buddhist school for boys. His parents have sheltered him all of his life, but now he wants to be a guitar hero like his idol, Bob Dylan – and he is always thinking about girls. That summer, his friend tells him about a youth hostel on an island – a hostel where the young men and women all supposedly practice “free love.” Jun and his friend decide to spend the summer on the island – and Jun’s life takes a turn towards adulthood. This seventies-set Japanese comedy – which was directed by actor Tomorowo Taguchi (Tetsuo, the Iron Man) – starts Friday at the Viz Cinema in San Francisco. The theater’s site (linked above) has more information and a trailer, which lacks English subtitles. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a trailer with English subtitles out there yet – even under the film’s IMDb title, The Shikisoku Generation.

The Paranoids – Luciano – the main character in this unusual comedy from Argentina – is a would-be writer living in Buenos Aires. He makes a living by working birthday parties, but is hampered by overpowering fears of just about everything. Then, Luciano’s life takes a turn for the worse when a childhood friend, Manuel, returns from Spain. Manuel is now a big-shot TV producer in Madrid, and Luciano learns that a character in Manuel’s hit show, The Paranoids, is directly based on Luciano – and doesn’t exactly reflect very well on him. Manuel now plans to create a new version of The Paranoids that will be shown all over Argentina. Before that happens, though, Manuel leaves town on a business trip, and Luciano is left with Manuel’s gorgeous new girlfriend, Sofia – who may be starting to think that Luciano’s quirks are rather endearing…. The Paranoids (the movie, that is) starts Friday, January 22, at the Cinema Village in New York City.

Pop Star on Ice – If you have been holding your breath, waiting for a documentary about Johnny Weir – the real-life skater who provided the inspiration for Jon Heder’s character in Blades of Glory – then I have good news: you can start breathing again, because Pop Star on Ice is that film. That bit about inspiring Jon Heder’s Blades of Glory character was courtesy of this film’s official site – which also notes that Weir is a three-time U.S. Figure Skating National Champion, and refers to him as “the most controversial ahtlete” in his sport today. This doc examines Johnny’s early efforts to succeed as a skater, his relationship with his veteran coach – and the backlash that followed his failure to win a medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Pop Star on Ice started Wednesday, January 20, at the IFC Center in New York City

A Room and a Half – Live action, animation, and documentary footage all figure in veteran Russian filmmaker Andrei Khrzhanovsky’s latest effort, which imagines what it would be like if Russian-born poet (and Nobel Prize laureate) Joseph Brodsky ever managed to return to his homeland. As Brodsky sets sail on his journey, he also travels through time – back to the Russia of the fifties and sixties. The US site for A Room and a Half describes it as “an ironic fairy tale,” and includes both some excellent review quotes and a listing of the festivals at which the film has played. Unfortunately, the site apparently lacks an English-friendly trailer, and I couldn’t find one anywhere else on the web, either – so you’ll have to make do with this unsubtitled Russian-language trailer. A Room and a Half – which features Alisa Frejndlikh (from Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker) in the role of Brodsky’s mother – started Wednesday, January 20, at the Film Forum in New York City.

Soundtrack for a Revolution – According to its official site, this documentary “tells the story of the American civil rights movement through its powerful music.” Newly-recorded performances of a number of freedom songs – by artists such as Wyclef Jean, John Legend, The Roots, and Joss Stone – are intercut with interviews with participants in the civil rights struggle (such as Harry Belafonte, Congressman John Lewis, Ambassador Andrew Young, and Julian Bond) and archive footage. Soundtrack for a Revolution starts Friday, January 22 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Rose Cinemas in New York City.

Ward #6 – Like the floor wax/dessert-topping “Shimmer,” Ward #6 is two things at once – a modern-day version of the Chekhov short story of the same name, and a film based on a real incident involving a man who became a patient at a mental institution after serving as its director. Ward #6 – which is Russia’s official submission to the 82nd Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film – started last November in New York City, but I didn’t mention it at the time because I did not hear about the film until I was looking up this week’s A Room and a Half (another Russian film with the same US distributor as this one); it will play at Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center in February. Ward #6‘s US site doesn’t have a trailer on it, as far as I can tell – but a youtube trailer can be found here.

Watercolors – Talented painter Danny is having his first exhibition in New York City when his paintings trigger memories of his first love, a depressed athlete named Carter. Flashbacks show the relationship between the pair – along with the three women who help Danny use his passion for painting to deal with his sadness when Carter leaves his life. Back in the present day, Danny must face the fact that he could lose his lover Allan if he doesn’t stop obsessing about Carter. Watercolors starts Friday, January 22, at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in West Hollywood and the Quad Cinema in New York City.

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND

As of Thursday, there were no updates about upcoming limited release/art films on the Keystone Art Cinema’s web page.

Manoranjaninc has a title back on their site this week: Rann – which stars Amitabh Bachchan as a media tycoon trying to keep his empire together – was on the site a few weeks ago, but then vanished for a while. Now Rann is back – but there’s still no word there on when the film will start at the Georgetown 14. And the Tamil-language film Goa is currently scheduled for two showings at the G14 next week, according to manoranjaninc: at 3 and 6 PM on Sunday, January 31.

After Dark’s Horrorfest IV starts Friday at two theaters in Indiana: The Hamilton 16 and IMAX in Noblesville and the Showplace Cinemas East in Evansville. As far as I know, neither theater has any info yet on which of the eight films will play on which days – but if you want to know more about the films themselves (Zombies of Mass Destruction, Kill Theory, The Final, Lake Mungo, Dread, The Graves, the Norwegian film Hidden, and The Reeds, from Britain), click on the link above.

(And while it isn’t on the theater’s site yet – so maybe this is a bit premature – the official site for The Messenger says that that film will open on January 29 at the Yes Cinema in Columbus. If this does happen, it will be the second time in recent weeks – following Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans – that a film has opened at the Yes without opening in Indianapolis first… if either of these films ever open in an Indianapolis theater at all, that is….)

Coming Next Friday:

Four Sheets to the Wind – The University of Notre Dame’s Browning Cinema will screen director Sterlin Harjo’s Oklahoma-set film about the members of an eccentric Native American family – and the changes they go through following a death in their ranks – on Friday, January 29, at 7 PM. Admission is free, but tickets are required; go to the Browning’s site for more information. Tamara Podemski won a Special Jury Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival for her performance in Four Sheets to the Wind, and the film won both Best Actor (Cody Lightning) and Best Director (Sterlin Harjo) at the 2007 American Indian Film Festival. I couldn’t find an official site for the film, but a youtube trailer is here. Also, director Sterlin Harjo – who also made a short film (Goodnight, Irene) that premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival – will be present at the screening, and will give a talk (presented by Notre Dame’s Department of Film, Television, and Theatre) at 3 PM on January 29, again at the Browning Cinema. As with the film itself, admission is free, but a ticket is required; the Browning’s site has the number to call if you want to attend.

The Maid – Raquel, the longtime maid to an upper-class Chilean family, has worked for them for such a long time that she almost seems like part of the family – but not quite. Although devoted to her work, she is increasingly plagued by headaches and other health issues – not to mention a gloomy, downcast state of mind. The family tries to help out Raquel by hiring a series of secondary maid to assist her – but Raquel has other ideas, and tries to drive them away… until the family hires Lucy, who may help Raquel turn her life around. The Maid starts Friday, January 29, in Bloomington, by way of The Ryder Magazine and Film Series; see their site for more information.

Touch of Evil – The 1998 restoration of Orson Welles’ classic film noir will be shown (in 35mm) at 7 PM on Friday, January 29, at the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s Toby Theatre – but there’s more going on here as well. Director, actor, and writer Peter Bogdanovich (author of the book This Is Orson Welles) will give a talk before the movie, and he and James Naremore – IU Emeritus Professor of Film Studies and the author of The Magic World of Orson Welles – will answer audience questions about the film after the screening. Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Akim Tamiroff, Dennis Weaver and Welles himself are all in the cast of the film – and there are some cool cameo appearances as well.

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Commentary Track Reviews of movies listed in this week’s edition of Thinking Outside the Multiplex:

An Education
Happy-Go-Lucky
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus